And I Liked It
by muchoblidged
Summary: Hinata finally asks out Naruto, but finds herself in love with both sides of him. Pairing/s/: NarutoxHinata, NarukoxHinata SHOUJO-AI, CROSSDRESSING
1. Infatuation

Naruto lay on his back, staring at his ceiling. Ichiraku? Closed. Bookstore? Closed. Training grounds? Closed. He rolled over onto his side, sighing. _Is this really the extent of my life?_ Naruto moaned inwardly. _Shinobi missions, eating ramen and reading pervy magazines? _He smiled. It wasn't a bad life. But now, lying alone on his bed on Friday night in the middle of summer, Naruto got the feeling his life was pretty empty. He rolled onto his back, not wanting to look at his messy apartment. _I need a girlfriend._ He sighed to himself. Sakura wasn't interested and he really didn't know any other girls except for Hinata who, well -

Naruto sat up. "There's no way I'm spending my Saturday night this way. I may be an honorary Konoha shinobi, but I'm still a teenager!" He jumped off his bed. "YEAH!" After his outburst, his apartment seemed deathly quiet in comparison. He sighed, hunching his shoulders. "I guess I'll go hit the hot springs..."

:::

"...And he just gained it all back!" Ino cried. Sakura burst out laughing.

"Really?" Ino nodded.

"I'm not lying! I swear!" The blonde held up her right hand in a mock-oath. Sakura snorted.

"I can't believe I got dragged into this..." Tenten muttered under her breath. Hinata was too flushed to say anything. It was Friday night and she was finally out and about in the busy Konoha streets. Sakura and Ino's energy was infectious. All she wanted to do was run screaming up and down the streets. Sakura punched Tenten in the shoulder.

"Oh come on! You've been wanted to do this for weeks! I can't imagine you getting much girl time, what with Neji and Lee on your team." Tenten blushed and looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I get plenty of 'girl time.'" Tenten muttered. Sakura nodded, exchanging a knowing look with Ino.

"_Right_." Sakura laughed.

"_Sure._" Ino smiled, patting Tenten's shoulder. Tenten glared at the ground but couldn't contain her smile. "Come on guys!" Ino called, running ahead. "The hot springs is going to close by the time you slow-pokes get there!" Sakura grinned.

"Is that a _challenge,_ Ino-pig?" She snarled. Ino's eyebrow twitched.

"Sure it is, Billboard Brow!" Ino sneered. Sakura sprinted ahead and Ino hurried to catch up. Tenten glanced back at Hinata, a giant smile on her face.

"Come on!" She grabbed Hinata's wrist and pulled her through the crowd.

The noises, textures and scents rushed by Hinata in a blur of light and color. Her senses were so bombarded, she barely realized that she had stopped running. Hinata followed Tenten to the locker room and stripped slowly.

Naruto watched the dwindling line of women going into the hot springs. Grinning, he ducked behind the building. "This calls for my speciality!" There was plume of smoke and a sound like muffled explosion. Where Naruto Uzumaki once stood, there was now a blond teenage girl with an orange jacket and short orange skirt. Naruto ran his fingers through Naruko's pigtails grinning._ Perfect..._

He slid into the small stream of customers headed for the women's locker rooms and began undressing. _I can't believe how long its been since I did this!_ He grinned. _It's worth it too - look at all these hot chicks! Success!_ He opened an empty locker and stored his clothes inside it, leaving his shoes in front of the door. Naruto looked around and saw none other than Hinata standing only a foot away from him. She was looking around like she was lost. Naruto opened his mouth to say greet her but when she began unzipping her jacket he suddenly remembered where he was. _Crap!_ He ducked down and pretended to be busy storing Naruko's clothes in the locker. _Did she see me? Worse, did she recognize me? Crap, crap, CRAP!_

But Hinata turned and left without saying a word. He looked at her as she left and blushed furiously. _This is awesome!_

:::

All the girls had already made themselves comfortable in the steaming water by the time she had finished undressing. Sakura waved to her. Ino was sitting underwater and Tenten had laid a hot wet cloth on her face, cutting herself off from the rest of the world.

"Come in! Grab some rock!" Sakura cried. The bath was filled with other women, most of whom were simply relaxing. Candles lined the pool, close enough to cast their homely light on the bathers but distant enough to not get wet. Hinata stepped into the water cautiously, wincing as it nearly burned her foot. She put off her towel and smiled at her friends.

"This is nice." She whispered. It was the first thing she had said all night. Sakura smiled, slipping farther into the water.

"Mmm-hmm." She mumbled in agreement. Hinata looked at the door, anxious to see who would be joining them. The hot water made her relaxed and tired.

_I could sleep here._ She thought, yawning slightly. A new customer stepped through the door without a towel on. Hinata raised an eyebrow, to tired to be embarrassed for her. The woman had long blond hair that pooled at her feet when she wasn't walking. Her bright blue blue cut through the steam. Hinata smiled. _She's very pretty..._She thought, her head nodding back and forth as she lingered on the verge of sleep. _Really familiar too..._Hinata raised a hand and waved, thinking that if the woman recognized her she would wave back. The woman seemed more frightened than glad to see her. Hinata shrugged it off. It was hard to worry sitting amongst the warm waters, a natural current gently massaging you as the candlelight flickered across the gentle waves and ripples. Hinata smiled. _So nice..._

The woman took a seat in one of the most crowded parts of the springs. It was where the heated water poured in and everyone who came early crowded around it. The woman let herself be jostled by the other restless customers. Hinata shook her head, sliding her bangs away from her eyes. "Some people..." She sighed. Sakura tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hinata let's go. We're going to hit the shops and we have to leave now if we want to spend a little more time in the hot springs again." Hinata stepped out of the water. The summer air was frigid in comparison to the hot liquids and it shocked her back into her usual self, if not a little more relaxed. Hinata glanced back at the woman who seemed to have gotten quite comfortable.

"Hey Sakura - doesn't that girl looked familiar?" She asked. Sakura peered at her through the smoke

"Yeah sort of...Come on. Let's go." Hinata glanced back at the blonde. She seemed so familiar...where could they have met?

:::

Naruto climbed out of the hot spring almost slipping on the rocks, his face bright red. "What a crowd!" He grinned, releasing his jutsu once he'd gone out of sight of the hot springs. _Ero-sennin would be proud..._He joked inwardly. Naruto stopped suddenly, sensing someone near him. He looked up to find Hinata inches away from him. "S-sorry!" He mumbled, trying to keep his eyes on her face. Hinata nodded. She looked exhausted. "Hinata-chan? Are you okay?" She didn't look sick just tired. "Come on. I'll take you to the Hyuga compound." Hinata was too out of it to realize what she was doing before she climbed on Naruto's back.

"N-Naruto-kun..." She mumbled pulling on the front of his jacket. Naruto readjusted his grip on her.

"Hinata-chan? You're awake?"

"Mmm." She replied. "Naruto-kun, will you go out with me?"

Naruto stopped walking for a second. He shook Hinata gently. "Hey. Hey Hinata-chan are you really awake?"

"Mmm." She murmured. Naruto smiled.

"Sure." He sighed. Naruto set her down outside the Hyuga gates and pressed the buzzer. "Hey Hinata." He whispered.

"Mmm?" She mumbled.

"Hello? Who is this?" A voice asked from the speaker.

"Hyuga Hinata." Hinata mumbled.

"Hyuga-san! My apologies! I'll let you in right away!" The iron gates opened and Naruto lead her to the front door, slipping away before anyone came.


	2. Anywhere With Him

Morning came. Hinata opened her lavender eyes slowly as the sun warmed her face. She rolled over in bed, not wanting to wake up yet. "Mmm...Two more minutes, Taiyou-san." She mumbled, covering her face with a pillow. Hinata sat up suddenly. "Morning?" She cried, jumping out of bed. She was still wearing the clothes from last night - some shorts and a wrap t-shirt. Hinata rubbed her temples, tyring to calm down and remember the events of the night before...

Sakura and Ino had dragged them all around downtown. Three clubs, two outdoor parties, four restaurants, a spa and a parade. She vaguely remembered a wedding ceremony as well. Certainly not hers...or was it? Hinata shook her head but still checked her ring finger to make sure. She last remembered wandering around outside the hot springs but not much else...

Naruto!

Hinata blushed furiously. _He...he carried me! And I...I asked him out! This is bad! Terrible!_ Frantically she paced around her room. _I can't believe this! How could I be so stupid! I was just so tired and he was so warm...Hinata stop it! You've got to focus and get out of this somehow!_ Hinata stopped walking and sat on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest.

_But...I'm kind of glad...that I did it. Who knows? Maybe Naruto-kun and I will work out... We could go on dates and be a couple._ Hinata smiled.

_AH!_ She screamed inwardly, burying her face in the pillow. _Father will never let me go out with Naruto! I think he hates him... He wouldn't think it proper for me to out with someone like him. My marriage is probably going to be arranged anyways..._

_But...but..._

:::

Hinata was slowly working her way through the traditional breakfast the chef had prepared when a maid walked up to her and bowed deeply. "Hinata-san, Uzumaki-san is at the gate for you. Do you wish to see him?" She asked. Hinata almost choked on her tamagoyaki but she managed to swallow the omelet.

"Y-yes. I'll go out and see him." Hinata said quietly, drawing away from the table. The maid shook her head.

"Oh no Hinata-san! There's no need for that! We'll just send him in -"

"I'll go." Hinata interrupted. The maid bowed.

"Yes, of course. My apologies." Hinata left and went to the gate. The iron bars slid apart and Naruto was standing there, smiling softly.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured. Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"When...when you asked me out last night you never said...where." Naruto glanced up at her and looked at feet. Hinata nodded.

"I'm sorry." Hinata whispered. "I don't really know where we could go..." She trailed off. _As long as I'm with you, I'm fine..._

Naruto nodded. "It's okay. I'll think of something. Meet me in front of the academy at three, okay?" Naruto said. Hinata nodded.

"Right! Sure!" She was furiously embarrassed but more concerned about what her father would think..._Maybe I just won't tell him._ Hinata thought, waving to Naruto as he left. _Maybe everything will work out in the end... _Naruto rounded a corner and disappeared. Hinata sighed and turned away. _Maybe..._

:::

Hinata sighed, flopping back on her bed. The date was success. Naruto showed her his favorite places in Konoha - the top of the mountains, a small dock by a river, a quiet abandoned training field - and then he walked her home. _It was nice...just hanging out with Naruto._ She thought, smiling. There was timid knocking at her door. Hinata sat up and ran her fingers through her hair to order in. "Come in!" She called, still struggling with a particularly stubborn knot. A maid bowed after opening the door.

"Phone for you, Hinata-sama." She presented a phone and bowed once more as Hinata accepted, leaving quickly.

"He-hello?" She whispered, hoping with all her might it was Naruto.

"Hinata-chan!" A pair of voices screamed. Hinata nearly dropped the phone in surprise.

"A date with Naruto-kun? Do tell..." Ino crooned.

"How was it? Did he make a move? Did he kiss you?" Sakura gasped.

"Where did you go? If it was Ichiraku Ramen..." Ino growled warningly.

"Give me the phone Ino-pig!" Sakura bellowed. "Tell me everything!"

"Put it on speaker Billboard Brow!" Ino snarled. There was some shrieking and arguing but eventually Hinata heard a slight beep.

"So?" Sakura cooed.

"We-we...we went to a bunch of Naruto-kun's favorite places like the top of the mountains and a little training field and a really nice dock by a river... They were really nice and I brought us some lunch... Naruto-kun said he loved it and we talked a lot..." Hinata's voice was drowned out by Ino and Sakura's squeals.

"It's good thing it wasn't Ichiraku..."

"...the mountain show scenic! Did he..."

"...dress must have been..."

"...tell me did you guys..."

"...and did you..."

"HEY!" Tenten's voice barked. "We should all go out and celebrate. If Hinata's got a boyfriend now she might not be hanging out with us as much and who knows how many missions we'll have coming up." Sakura and Ino screamed and Hinata jerked the phone away from her head.

"Hot springs!"

"Festival!"

"Throw a party!"

"SAKE!"

There was silence.

"Ino-san we're not old enough..." Hinata whispered.

"I can look quite mature when I please..." Hinata could almost hear the smirk in Ino's voice.

"If we get arrested, I'm blaming you." Sakure snorted.

"What, are you _scared_ Billboard Brow?"

"AGH! YOU STUPID PIG!"

The argument dissolved into senselessness. Hinata quietly hung up the phone and went to bed.

:::

Naruto tossed an empty ramen cup in the air. He was going to have to clean up his apartment if Hinata was to ever come over. His hands slipped and the ramen cup dropped on his forehead spilling a tiny bit of stagnant broth in his hair. Naruto tossed the cup over to a pile of garbage and rubbed his hair, frantically trying to get the disgusting liquid out. Now that he was dating Hinata, inviting her over to his apartment sounded like a really big step in their relationship, not to mention perverted.

The slimy broth trickled down his scalp and coated his fingers in a thin film that would come off no matter how roughly he rubbed it on his pant legs and bedsheets. Naruto sighed. _I guess since I have girlfriend now, I should stop going out as Naruko..._He grinned. _One last run - just for kicks. _He clasped his hands and made the chakra gathering sign. It only took a few moments before smoke filled the room and where Naruto once stood there was now a tall blond teenage girl. He flipped his long ponytail and dusted off his tight black pants. Naruko wore a net shirt and a black shirt that tied in front. Her hips were strung with an assortment of black and orange belts. She smiled. _This is my last trip - better enjoy it!  
_

The girls went from party to party, flirting with boys and dancing for as long as their energetic bodies would allow. Hinata even let herself loose, taking off her short-sleeved sweatshirt to reveal a tight tank top and a net shirt.

They went to the hot springs to cool down and again Hinata saw the woman. She seemed different than last time, younger actually. "Hi." She said while they were undressing. The woman looked at her and seemed to blush. "Oh." Hinata said quietly,thinking she was self-conscious. "I'll talk to you later..."

"No it's okay." She said shakily. "I'm Naru-" She cut herself off.

_Damn._ Naruto thought. _Naruko! What a stupid name! She'll totally recog-_

"'Naru?'" Hinata said quietly. "I don't think I know a 'Naru'..." She smiled and pushed her clothes into a locker. "Have a nice time Naru-san! Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" She left, her dark hair swirling in the humid air. Naruko smiled softly.

_Hinata-chan..._

_

* * *

_Author's Note: "Taiyou" means "sun." She's referring to the sun as a person.


	3. Trap Me

Naruko leaned back, enjoying the hot bath. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get the sticky broth. It was cooler where she sat - after her encounter with Hinata she didn't feel like getting jostled by the crowd of women. She lay back and her bright blonde hair glittered and floated on top of the water. Slowly she dozed off and shook herself awake when she almost slipped underwater. Hinata and her friends were getting up to leave. Hinata noticed her awaken and she glided over to her. "Naru-san!" She cried. Her hair fell decently around her. In the filtered light, her pale skin and gentle purple eyes seemed to dropped lower in the water to cover her blush. The girl truly looked beautiful...

"Naru-san, would you like to come with me and my friends? We're going out for some sake and it would be nice to have you there!" Hinata gave her an innocent smile; her eyes blazed with gave her a small smile which quickly broadened into a grin.

"Just help me up."

:::

The girls went out a to a small but busy sushi bar. It was crowded with teenagers all trying to get the most out of the Saturday night. Ino flipped her hair, applied some more lipstick and pulled her shirt's neckline farther down. Her friends raised their eyebrows, disapproving but silent. "I have to look older." She explained tiredly.

Sakura snorted. "'Older' doesn't mean you have to look like a -"

"One second - I think I dropped something." Naruko interrupted. "Can you guys wait in line while I look for it?" The group nodded and continued talking amongst themselves. Naruko jogged away. "Okay - older." Naruto whispered. Her pale hands formed the chakra gathering symbol. In a puff of smoke, he put on three years. Naruto ran her fingers through her hair. _I hope they don't notice..._

When Naruko returned, the girls were arguing with the owner.

"Hey!" Naruko called. The girls turned. The owner's eyes flitted to her. "They're with me." The girls gawked. Naruko sighed. _They _did _notice... _Naruto moaned. The owner threw his hands up and stepped aside and the girls poured into the bar.

"What did you drop?" Ino cried, readjusting her shirt and smoothing down her hair. "A decade?" Naruko swallowed.

"Just my...make-up kit." Naruko stammered. _What?_ Naruto shouted at himself. "I just put on some...stuff. That's all." The girls complimented her on her attire and grabbed seats at the bar.

"Just some nagiri please. Eel." Sakura told the chef. Hinata grimaced.

"Sure." He said.

"And some salmon sushi." Naruko said quickly, noting Hinata's discomfort. Hinata gave her a quick smile.

"Sure." The chef replied, turning away.

The conversation turned from subject to subject and Naruto stayed out of it. He and Hinata smiled at each other occasionally. As the food came, the seating changed around. Before long sake cup replaced their chopsticks and Naruko opened up. She laughed and joked about her past and everyone alternatively giggled and sniffled as she told her story. Naruto was careful to not link himself to Naruko - Hinata would never talk to him again and her friends would beat the crap out of him. Hinata hooked her arm around Naruko, laughing and sipping sake. They all shared their stories, joking about everything - good and bad.

Naruto couldn't help it. She looked fantastic, her tank top strap slipping off her shoulder, her deep purple hair frizzy and tossed.

Hinata couldn't help it. She barely knew the girl but everything about her seemed familiar and wonderful.

In a moment it began and concluded. She leaned over to Naruko , sake heavy on her breath and she kissed her. The other girls cheered and whistled. The chef smirked and other customers raised their chopsticks or cups. With a mutual sigh they parted and grinned, pretending like it had just been a joke - nothing special. Hinata kept her arm around Naruko for the rest of their time their. When the chef started to give them sidelong glares, they gathered themselves up and dropped off their pay. The other girls helped each other home, leaving Naruto and Hinata together. Naruto blinked, trying to sober up enough to get Hinata to her house but eventually he gave up and brought her to his apartment. After setting her down on his bed, he attempted to clean up before passing out in a pile of dirty laundry.

In the morning Hinata woke up in a messy bed surrounded by piles of garbage. It certainly wasn't her house. She frantically checked to make sure she was dressed and then set to work trying to figure where she was. After cleaning up some of the garbage, she found a slip of paper with writing scribbled on it. _Hinata_, it read, _Naruko dropped you off at my place. Sorry it's such a mess. Don't worry - nothing happened. I had to go out to meet with Kakashi-sensei. Keys to the door are under the note. Lock after you leave. I left you some water and pain relievers on the table next to my bed. - Naruto. _Hinata smiled. "Thank you." She murmured. After emptying out her stomach of all remnants of food and having some pain reliever, Hinata set to work cleaning Naruto's apartment to calm herself down. At ten o'clock she picked up the keys, locked the door and slid them underneath the door.

Hinata bumped into her father as she was heading home. He and Hanabi were heading to a restaurant. "Where are you going?" He asked. "And why didn't you come home last night?"

"I-I..." Hinata stammered, fearing her father's wrath. "I was at a friend's house overnight. We ended up heading home pretty late and -"

"I smell sake." Her father said darkly. Hinata paled. She met her sister's eyes and begged for help but Hanabi merely shook her head ever so slightly.

"I-I g-got some sake spilled on me. There was nothing in my size for me to change into s-so -" Her father nodded.

"Then go on your way." Hanabi and Hiashi brushed past Hinata, leaving her feeling breathless with barely a word.

* * *

Author's Note: Hinata hates eel.


	4. Futsukayoi

Naruto moaned, lying in one of the training fields. He figured that he would be able to fight off his hangover by beating it away with hard practice. His plan had completely and totally backfired. Now his stomach was churning, his mouth was aching and his head - it was best not to think about that. "I'm never touching alcohol again." He grunted, struggling to sit up. Then there was the matter of Hinata, which weighed on him like a second hangover. He - or rather, _Naruko_, had kissed her. He couldn't just cut her off from Naruko. It wasn't fair - get her drunk and steal her first kiss. And when he kissed her as Naruko, he felt something - something different from when he spent time with her as himself. Naruto buried his fingers in her hair. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan." He mumbled, resting his face in his hands.

Naruto stayed in that field for several hours, thinking of what to do. He had one solution but it wasn't - well, it just didn't seem right. But after sitting in the field for hours on end, Naruto's stomach was rumbling with hunger, his mouth was raw and his head was throbbing dully. _I have to..._ He realized. _I have to do it._ Naruto swallowed and stood. There was blast of smoke and Naruko stood in his place, a somber expression on his face. _I have too..._

She searched for Hinata everywhere, finally finding her nodding off on a bench in a park. "Hinata-san?" Naruko cried. Hinata sat up straight suddenly, jolted awake. She smiled weakly when her eyes came back into focus.

"Oh, Naru-san... Hello, how are you?" Naruko groaned.

"Ugh! _Terrible._ I'm never touching alcohol again." She laughed. "At least not sake - it'll be the death of me!" Naruko peered at Hinata and put a hand on her forehead. "Hey, do you have a fever?" She asked. Hinata's eyes opened widely.

"You know, someone else used to asked me that all the time - " Hinata began. She cut herself off quickly. Naruko withdrew her hand.

"Who?" She asked, placing her hand on her neck.

"N-no one!" Hinata jumped up. "I-I'm sorry b-but I - I - " Hinata bowed frantically. "I have to go!" She began to run off but Naruko's hand shot out. She grabbed Hinata's wrist and pulled her back.

"Hey, hey!" She cooed. "What's wrong?" Their noses almost touched. Hinata's face turned a pale pink. Naruko's eyes were dizzying. Hinata blinked, her body heavy. She sat back down on the bench and leaned on Naruko's shoulder. "So?" Naruko said, shrugging her shoulder a couple times to make sure Hinata was awake. "Do you want to go out?" Hinata sat up and looked her in the eye.

"Y-yes." She said. Naruko smiled. She leaned in and kissed Hinata gently.

"That's the Hinata I know." She sighed. "You should go home Hinata-san. You don't look well." Hinata nodded, putting her on hand on her forehead.

"I do feel kind of feverish. It was nice seeing you Naru-san!" She cried, bowing again. Naruko hugged her.

"That's a good girl."

Hinata drew away and bowed again. "See you later, Naru-san."

"Bye Hinata-san!" She called. When Hinata was out of sight, Naruko leaned against a tree and slumped down. "Damn you sake..." She growled. A plume of smoke engulfed her and there sat Naruto, moaning and holding his head. He stumbled away from the park and dropped to his knees.

"I think I'm dying." Naruto grunted.

:::

"You're not dying, Naruto-idiot." Sakura growled. "You just have a hangover. I guess I could prescribe you something but did you really have to waste my time like this?" Naruto let out a moan as his answer. Sakura rolled her eyes and scrawled a note. "Here. You're hopeless Naruto-idot!" She snapped. Naruto nodded his head and took the note.

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" She shot him a dirty look and he hurried out of the examination room.

The medicine _did _help, but the matter of Hinata was still unresolved. It wasn't like he could keep this up forever. Unless he wanted to permanently exhaust himself, he'd have to break it off at some point. And Hinata was no idiot. She'd figure out eventually that Naruko just _happened_ to dissapear whenever Naruto was around or away somewhere. "Naruto-kun!" He whirled around. It was Hinata. She had changed out of her outfit from the night before and put on her usuall bulky sweater. Her face reddened. "H-hello, N-Naruto-kun. H-how are you?" She fiddled with her hands, tapping her index fingers together incessantly.

"Is something wrong Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head frantically.

"N-no, no! I'm fine! E-everything fine! R-r-really!" She nodded. "Fine! It's nice meeting you here!"

"So, you wanna go somewhere?" Naruto asked, reaching out for her hand. Hinata didn't react to his guesture.

"N-not - n-no. B-but m-maybe later?"

"Sure! There's this nice dango shop I know. I'll meet you in front of the Hyuuga estate, okay?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked up at him with shocked, frightened eyes.

"N-no! N-no you can't!" She shouted, clutching his shoulders. Her voice was heavy with desperation. Naruto swallowed.

"Okay! Okay! Where then?"

"Y-your apartment? Tomorrow this, time time?" Hinata stammered. "Okay then I - I - " She ran off without a word.

"That was... different." Naruto mumbled.

:::

"So know I'm dating her as both Naruko _and_ Naruto!" Naruto exclaimed. "Do you understand?"

The Kakashi plushie said nothing.

Naruto grabbed the toy and squeezed it tightly. "AUGH!" He closed his eyes. "Sleep... Just some regular old sleep..." He yawned and turned over. Hours later he was awoken by the phone. "Uzumaki Naruto." He mumbled as a greeting.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata's timid phone whispered to him from the receiver. "Oh, well, um, I'm outside your apartment. Why won't you open the door?" Naruto rubbed his eyes.

"Hinata-chan, I thought you said _tomorrow_." Naruto frowned and stretched. _I got no sleep? Ah, this sucks._

"It _is_ 'tomorrow' Naruto-kun." Naruto glanced out the window.

"I slept for a whole day?" Naruto bellowed.

"Ah! Naruto-kun don't shout into the phone! Could you please let me in now?"

"Sorry." Naurto hung up and opened the door. "Ah, I really haven't cleaned up yet... Do you mind waiting a bit?" Hinata shook her head that's fine.

After a quick shower, dressing and a few bowls of instant ramen, Naruto ducked out. "Okay I'm ready." They started walking together. "Hinata-chan how did you find out my number?"

"Well, Naru-san said that that was her number. I guess I just messed up the digits or something..." Naruto laughed.

"I guess..." _Dammit! No more sake - ever!_

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, Naruto does have a Kakashi plushie in the actual series. Whether he talks to it or not is another matter. Apologies for the delay. Are these author's notes annoying?


	5. Lazy Days

Hinata lay on her bed watching the fan on her ceiling lazy rotate through petrified eyes. She could barely breathe because of crushing weight of the thoughts that crowded her mind. Finally, _finally_ she was dating Naruto and now she was cheating on him with a woman she barely knew. How could she possibly decide between the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty that had captivated her with a glance and her blond-haired, blue-eyed crush that she -

Hinata at up abruptly. Her mind no longer clouded by infatuation or self-consciousness began to realize how similar they were. About the same height, always wore the same colors, similar hairstyle and face...Hinata cringed. _Am I cheating on Naruto with his relative? _She shook her head. Naruto was an only child. He had no known family. It had to be just a coincidence. Maybe Naru-san really respected Naruto and copied his style! Hinata nodded, lying back down shakily. "That has to to be it..." She sighed, returning her gaze to her ceiling fan.

And yet it wouldn't leave her alone. She tried to convince herself that the solution was that simple: Naru-san had copied Naruto, her idol, and dressed up like him. But how could that explain how much they looked alike in the face and how they seemed to be so close but never in the same place together? All this on top of the guilt of cheating on Naruto made Hinata unable to sit still. She stood up, pulled on her jacket and walked out of her room. She met up with Neji in the hallway. "Hinata-san! What are you doing out so late?" He asked. Hinata cast a glance out the window. The sky was dark and moonlight streamed into the mansion.

"Just going out for a walk. I don't feel well." Hinata said quickly brushing past Neji. Neji's eyes followed her for a time before he turned away, still suspicious.

The night air was cool and Hinata shivered in her jacket. It didn't take her long to find Naruto. He was talking to Teuchi at Ichiraku Ramen. Hinata took a seat next to him. He turned suddenly, surprised. "Oh hi!" He cried. "Hey Teuchi-san, this is Hinata-chan. I was talking to you about her earlier remember?" Teuchi smiled.

"Ah, so this is the beauty that stolen Naruto-kun's heart!" He laughed. "Shame about Sakura - you two looked cute together." Naruto grinned and shrugged. Hinata lowered her head. Teuchi moved away to prepare some music and Naruto turned to Hinata.

"What's up? You want some ramen?" Hinata shook her head. Naruto smiled. "Well I do! Teuchi-san! Some ramen here? Large with extra pork!"

"Sure Naruto-kun! This is the last one! I've got to close up some time!" Naruto nodded.

"Hinata-chan did you want to talk to me about something?" Naruto asked reaching for his cup of tea. Hinata clasped her hands and played with her thumbs.

"I-I, um, I need t-to talk to you about something...if that's okay with you." She glanced up at Naruto and looked down at her lap. Ayame came over to Naruto and refilled his cup.

"Sure Hinata-chan. Go ahead."

"Naruto-kun, your ramen."

"Thanks Teuchi-san! Hey could I have another egg?"

"Oh, fine. Eat up quickly though! It's getting late!"

"Right Teuchi-san!" Naruto turned to his ramen his eyes gleaming. "Itadakimasu!" He laughed, splitting a pair of chopsticks.

"Who is Naru-san?" Hinata blurted. Naruto turned to her pausing only slightly.

"She's a girl I met at the hot springs." He said distantly. "We started talking when we noticed how similar we looked. It was kind of funny actually." Hinata smiled. The answer was exactly what she needed: a nonchalant completely average story. "Don't worry. We're just friends." He flashed her a smile. "Thank you Teuchi-san!" Naruto bowed and left his payment on the counter. "Do you want me to walk you home or - "

"I'll be fine." Hinata said. "Thank you though."

"See you Hinata-chan." Naruto waved to her and disappeared into the bustling Konoha night. Hinata breathed in the cool breeze and looked at the sky.

_Everything is fine._ She sighed to herself. _Everything is fine..._

_But why can't I just believe him?_

:::

Two weeks had transpired since the night Hinata had accidentally asked out Naruto. Their relationship was going well. Every other day they would meet up and talk, sometimes by accident, sometimes on a date. Hinata's relationship with "Naru" was going smoothly as well. When she wasn't meeting with Naruto she was walking with Naruko. It was a relaxing change from Naruto. Hinata loved him but he was loud and she always felt so shy around him. Naruko was calmer and easy-going. She made Hinata feel safe and sleepy, while Naruto made her feel happy and exhilarated. And yet at the core they were both so alike - how could she choose?

Hinata spent a lot of time thinking about her relationship with Naruto and "Naru" - so much time in fact, that she barely slept or ate. She claimed whenever she at home that she was going out to eat with Naruto or Naru and with her boyfriend and girlfriend she claimed she had eaten a large meal at home. But the anxiety and hunger and weariness wore away when she was on a date. Naruto had the same problem to a lesser extent. He slept only for a few hours and skipped breakfast and dinner on most days. He put all the energy he could spare into training, sometimes passing out from exhaustion. But he had an obligation to Hinata and revealing his secret would break her; he knew that much.

The process of switching from Naruko to Naruto and back worked wonderfully for the two shinobi. Half a month later, though, Naruto ran into trouble when Tsunade called him to her office.

Captain Yamato, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai and Naruto stood in front of her desk, rigid with anticipation. "Team Kakashi," Tsunade began slowly, "I have a very imporant mission for you. I believe it will be to your liking." She leaned forward. "It has to do with Sasuke." Naruto swallowed. "There have been several complaints from neighboring villages about bandits. We've sent out squads to deal with the individual cases and help rebuild but just now I've gotten news of the bandits' hideout. It's in one of Orochimaru's old bases. I sent in an ANBU squad to scope it out and they said it has an expansive library with multiple records pertaining to other hideouts of Orochimaru. This may help lead us closer to Sasuke but I won't make any promises." Sakura held her breath and clenched a fist. Hope burned in her eyes. "The mission is simple: defeat the bandits. However I'm allowing you to look through the records. A few jonin will accompany you to help sort through the records. They're from my library so they're more than qualified." She looked up at the blond shinobi. He was stiff and looked almost frightened. "Is something wrong?"

"I can't go on this mission!" Naruto exploded. Team Kakashi simultaneously turned to look at Naruto. Tsunade frowned.

"What are you talking about? You've been begging me nonstop for a mission to go find Sasuke. This is the closest thing I can get to you just running out of the village and going on a haphazard search for him. I really go through a lot to get you this Naruto! People aren't open to the thought of the Kyuubi out in the open with Akatsuki looking for you."

"I just can't!" Naruto shouted taking a step forward. _Hinata...She'll definitely suspect something if Naruko and I both leave like this. _He thought desperatley.

"Naruto it's not your choice." She said. "I'm assigning this mission to Team Kakashi and as a Konoha shinobi you are obligated to accept it. Understand?" Naruto nodded.

"Yes."

"The team will meet at the Konoha Gates at noon two days from now. Dismissed."

:::

"Naruto-kun! You can't spend all your time chakra training!" Sakura shouted. Naruto looked down at her from the training log he was sitting on.

"Sakura-chan, I need to do this!" Sakura frowned and crossed her arms.

"You haven't been acting normal lately, Naruto. Is something wrong?" Naruto didn't answer for a moment.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan." He said eventually. "Really." Sakura shrugged.

"Okay." She sighed. Sakura held her heads in her hands and let out a groan. "That mean I have to train Sai." She frowned. "He's going to get it..."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. If his plan was going to work he'd have to have all the chakra training he could take...

:::

"See you Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned. He waved to her and jogged up to meet with Team Kakashi. Naruko squeezed Hinata around.

"Aww, your boyfriend is cute! I'm glad I was able to see him!" Hinata looked at her.

"You, you don't mind?" She murmured. Naruko laughed.

"Hinata-chan..." She sighed, looking Hinata in the eyes. "Just because you have a boyfriend doesn't make you any less my girlfriend." She held Hinata's hands. "I still think you're every bit as beautiful as when I first met you." Hinata couldn't control the rising blush on her face.

_She's so like him..._She thought. _It's like he never left..._

Naruko grabbed Hinata in a tight hug. "Aww!" She cooed. "You're so cute when you blush like that!" She pulled away from Hinata. "Come on! Let's go do something fun!"

"Ah! Naru-san! Not so fast!" Hinata cried running after Naruko.


	6. Falling Apart With You

"Daisuke-san! Daisuke-san!" Hotaru shouted.

The bandit's comrade looked over. "Hotaru-kun!" He cried. The lookout was severely wounded. "Dammit, what happened to you?"

"Konoha ninja, sir." He grunted, dropping to his knees. "They wiped out everyone..." He fell on his face and lay still. Daisuke shook him.

"Hotaru-kun! Hotaru-kun!" The young man's warmth was fading, his eyes dark with the shadow of death.

Daisuke swore again and threw the corpse to the ground. "Leader-sama! Leader-sama! He shouted, racing farther into the maze of their hideout. _This is the worst place for a hideout we've ever picked. That Orochimaru was crazy - what the hell was he thinking with all these damn tunnels?_ Daisuke finally came to the leader's chamber. "Leader-sama!" He cried, not bothering with pleasantries.

The bandit leader Furuwaka Kosuke sat up abruptly. He was in the middle of a meeting with his assistant and was not pleased at the suddent interruption. "What is the meaning of this, Nojima?" He demanded.

Daisuke winced at his boss's harsh tone. "My apologies, Leader-sama." He said bowing. "The situation is of the utmost importance. Konoha ninja have overrun our guards and - " A loud explosion shook the walls and ceilings of the once-abandoned base.

"Gather all the men you can!" Kosuke bellowed, grabbing his katana. "We've come too far to get brought down by a bunch Fire Country brats!"

With one swift blow from Sakura, the doors of the hideout splintered and snapped off their hinges, smashing on the floor inside the hideout. Save for the echoes of the doors breaking, it was silent, Kakashi and Yamato having taken down the guards. One had escaped; they found his body inside. "He's probably warned the rest of them! We have to move fast!" Sakura called after checking his pulse briefly.

"Right." Naruto nodded. "Sai, this way!" The three ninja ran along the hallway. A group of bandits confronted them holding an assortment of weapons, most adopted from regular farm tools. Sakura grabbed one by his collar and threw him at two others, smashing them into the wall. She lashed out a kick, catching another in the jaw. The final one she caught by the neck and slammed to the ground, never breaking stride. Naruto and Sai jumped over the unconscious bodies. Sakura rotated to the back and Naruto took the lead, taking out a kunai. Seven bandits with more professional weapons apprehended them. Naruto took out a kunai and in a whirl of motion, disposed of them. Sai replaced him in the front taking out one of his knives. A rush of bandits flooded the hallway. Kakashi and Yamato came up behind them.

"Don't worry. Go ahead. We'll take care of them." Kakashi said, motioning towards the group.

"Sure thing, sensei." Sakura smirked. She pulled on her gloves and clenched a fist. "Meet you at the library."

"Heh, like you'll be able to make it through us!" A sword-bearing bandit shouted. The group behind him let out a cry. Sai took out his scroll and poised his brush.

"Ready?"

His teammates nodded in confirmation.

"Go!"

:::

Half an hour after the ninja had infiltrated the base, Tsunade's librarians were searching through the records in Orochimaru's old library. There were volumes and volumes, most having to do with the gruesome experiments performed at the base. But nothing about other hideouts or Sasuke. Team Kakashi stayed for three days helping in any way they could, but it wasn't long before they found the the task was best left up to the jonin.

On their way back to Konoha, Sakura turned to him. "Naruto-kun, you barely used any jutsu back there. You didn't even use Rasengan. Why did you need so much chakra training?" Naruto shrugged.

"I just thought my jutsu needed some work. I don't want to rely on the Kyuubi too much anymore." He quickened his pace and kept moved up next to Kakashi. "How much longer Kakashi-sensei?"

"Not long. Probably just a few more hours."

Naruto smiled. _Good. I'll be able to release the clone I left with Hinata-chan and finally get back._

It was the perfect plan: leave a clone disguised as Naruko with Hinata while he went on the mission. Naruto sped up. "Hey! Hurry up! Konoha's not that far!"

"Why is he so hyped up? I'm sure Hinata-chan can wait." Sakura frowned.

Kakashi smiled at her. "The heart does strange things to a man." He laughed.

Sakura grimaced. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that." She muttered. "It sounds weird coming from you..."

After they arrived at the village Naruto went looking for Hinata immediately. She was a few feet away from the Hyuuga estate, walking off towards the center of Konoha. "Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried. She looked up at him, her pale purple eyes distant and troubled. Naruto stepped closer to her and shook her gently. "Hinata...?" He said softly. She blinked and smiled, her eyes now full of life.

"Naruto-kun!" She cried. "You're back!" Hinata blushed and fidgeted with her hands. "D-did the mission go well?" Naruto shrugged.

"We didn't get any information but at least we got rid of the bandits." He brushed the bangs away from her forehead. "Hinata-chan you don't look well." She was pale, paler than usual. Her eyes were troubled and her smile was weak. A thin film of sweat coated her burning face. Hinata tried to smile.

"I'm fine Naruto-kun." She stumbled forward and collapsed onto him. He took a heavy step back to steady himself. Hinata was limp, her full weight pressing against him, but she was disturbingly light. Naruto picked her up and headed towards Konoha Hospital. Hinata opened her eyes, barely awake and squinted at Naruto. In her sleep-depraved eyes, she couldn't tell if the blurred blonde who held her was Naruto or "Naru." She simply slumped at the person's chest and allowed herself to be taken away.

:::

Naruto paced anxiously in front of the office. Sakura opened the door quietly and watched him walk for a while before frowning disapprovingly. "You're going to wear through the floor if you keep doing that. Just come inside already."

Naruto looked at Hinata lying the hospital bed. She appeared to be sleeping peaceful at first glance, but as Naruto walked closer he saw her twitching, a pained expression on her face as she dozed. He turned to Sakura. "Is she okay?" Sakura gave him a cold glare.

"She's exhausted, malnourished, dehydrated and a lot more. In my medical opinion, no, she's not okay. I sedated her and put her on an IV drip so she can get some rest and nutrients."

"Will she be okay?" Naruto asked. Sakura shrugged and picked up a clipboard.

"Physically, yes. After some rest and good food. As for her mental health, you're her boyfriend, you tell me." Sakura looked at Naruto. He looked awful - guilty and restless. "I'll give you some time alone with her. She'll probably wake up in about a half an hour. Maybe you can figure out something to say to her."

Thirty minutes later, Naruto had only come to the conclusion it was time for Naruko to end things with Hinata. As for what to say...

Her eyes opened and some warmth came to her sickly face. "Naruto-kun..." She sighed with relief. She blushed, remembering how Naruto held her. "N-Naruto-kun! I'm sorry!" She cried sitting up. "I-I, we...I mean..."

"It's okay." He smiled weakly.

Hinata lay back down. "I don't feel so well." She sighed.

"That makes sense. Sakura-chan said you were really sick." Naruto sighed. "I feel...kind of responsible. I mean, I should have noticed."

Hinata shook her head, sitting up again. "No, Naruto-kun! If anyone's to blame it's me! After all I -" Hinata swallowed. _I...I can't tell him. Not even after all this. I just can't risk losing either of them. _Naruto didn't look up at Hinata, concerned with the thoughts broiling in his mind. A tall brunette doctor walked in, followed by Sakura.

"Excuse me, Uzumaki-kun. Haruno-chan and I need to examine Hyuuga-san now." The doctor said. Naruto glanced up, his eyes distant. Sakura swallowed. Hinata and Naruto's eyes looked exactly the same, racked with guilt and so far away. She bowed her head. _They look so good together but...this can't go on. Their mental and physical health is suffering because of it. _Sakura looked up as Naruto dragged himself out of the room. Her eyes followed him until he slammed the door closed. _I have to convince him to end this anyway I can. Even if it means..._She gripped her clipboard a bit tighter and her knuckles turned white. _I hope it doesn't come to that. a _

_

* * *

_Author's Note: My profuse apologies to everyone who's been reading this story. I know this chapter has been ridiculously slow in coming, and the sad thing is I've had it written out for a while. I promise to never pull something like this again. Also, for anyone who's been paying attention to 'Don't Shoot the Messenger', my KakaAya fanfic, a new chapter is coming for that too. Again, _I am soooo sorry!_

By the way, the title is from the Muse song "Falling Away With You."_  
_


	7. Insurance

Naruko pulled away from Hinata. "Are you okay?" She murmured. Hinata nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm just tired and I haven't been eating well. I always feel sick whenever I'm about to eat." She looked down, blushing. "And...I've been missing my period." Naruko froze. __

Crap, I don't know how to deal with this. I'm in way over my head! Naruto moaned inwardly.

"Um, I'm sure you'll feel better in a little while. Have you gone to the hospital?" Naruko asked gently.

Hinata nodded again. "Mmm." She nodded. Hinata leaned on Naruko. "But I'm still on edge all the time. Especially around Naruto..." Naruko flinched. Hinata took no notice. "I've always admired and loved him, but I just feel like I have to be perfect around him." Hinata rested her head on Naruko's lap. "I feel like I can be myself around you...like you'll accept me no matter what." Naruko wrapped her arms around the girl.

"I'm glad." Naruko sighed.

There was long silence. To Naruto, it seemed awkward, but Hinata seemed comfortable at last, so Naruko kept quiet. It wasn't until Naruto noticed Hinata's breathing slow significantly that Naruko bothered to move. "Er, Hinata-chan?" Naruko shifted her leg, grimacing. Hinata shifted a bit, a slight smile on her still face, but otherwise didn't respond. "Hey, wake up. What if your father comes in?"

At that Hinata looked up, craning her neck around. "My father -" She began. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"It's fine. I was just trying to wake you. He's not here." Naruko interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder. Hinata nodded let out a tiny sigh of relief. She sat up and rested her head on Naruko.

"Please don't leave." She murmured.

Naruko glanced at the clock on Hinata's bedside table and laughed gently. "It's only noon, silly."

Hinata turned her head back and forth, her exhausted version of shaking her head. "Don't leave me, ever." Tears soaked Naruko's shirt. "I can't imagine being alone. I didn't realize how much having a friend - not just someone to spend a night at a restaurant with, but someone I can truly reveal everything to - would mean to me. And I feel like you're slipping away. I can't face Naruto-kun, the other ninja, my father, Neji-nii-san, or anyone, really, without you."

Naruko ran her fingers through Hinata's hair, a sad smile on her face.

_What the hell do I do now?_ Naruto demanded weakly.

:::

"Hey, Shikamaru-kun?"

The ninja turned, looking up from his game of Shoji. "Ah, Naruto-kun." He stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What're you doing here?"

Naruto frowned and shuffled uncomfortably. Coming to his house made his visit seem too serious, but he wanted to talk to him privately. "Er, I have to ask you about something...a strategy."

Shikamaru glanced back at the game and shrugged. "Go ahead. What's on your mind?"

"If...there was, um...well...how do I put this?" Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "If...you had...an alliance with someone, but then you were...on a mission, and spying on the country you had an alliance with -"

"When would you spy on your own ally?" Shikamaru interrupted.

"Just go with it, okay?" Naruto grimaced. "So, you were spying on this country under the alias of another country, and your ally thought you were a different country, and wanted to be an ally with your alias..." Naruto trailed off. _Damn, I'm confusing myself..._ "Do you understand?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru nodded. His eyes were narrowed, steely with a glare of concentration.

"So, do you tell your ally that your fake alias is fake, do you stop the alliance under your fake alias, or do you keep up both alliances, even if it's starting to hurt the other country?"

"Drop the fake alias. That's the way to do it with the least political problems." Shikamaru replied almost immediately.

"But what if the other country really likes your fake alias? And they'd be really upset if your fake alias disappeared?" Naruto returned.

"Then tell the other country about your fake alias. If your alliance is strong enough then all should be forgiven. Even so, everything can be smoothed over with some good diplomacy." Shikamaru sighed. "Can I get back to my game?"

"Diplomacy, huh?" Naruto murmured, already walking off. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and returned to the board.

A few hours later, Shikamaru was still staring at the board, though many games had passed. Sakura arrived in front of his house, glowering at his hunched form. "Shikamaru-kun!" She shouted.

He slowly rolled his head over, looking at her. "Eh?"

"Come here! I want to talk to you!" Sakura snapped.

Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and groaned. "What? First Naruto-kun, now you -"

"Naruto-kun was here?" Sakura exclaimed.

Shikamaru scratched his cheek leisurely. "Yeah. He was saying something about aliases and strategies...Why, are you looking for him?"

"Yes!" Sakura cried. "Something's been wrong with him and Hinata-chan for the past few weeks. What was he asking you about?" Shikamaru went over an abridged version of their conversation. "An alias...? What was he talking about?"

"I dunno, but I'd like to finish my -" Sakura was already heading away, chewing her lip, muttering to herself. "Again..." Shikamaru sighed, walking back to the game.

"An alias..." Sakura murmured. "What alias does Naruto-kun have? Or maybe, it's an alias Hinata-chan has? This is so confusing...I never thought Naruto-kun would get into something so involved!"

Suddenly, it clicked - the blond woman at the hot springs, the sheepish kiss she and Hinata shared, and Naruto's disguise when he'd tried to sneak into the hot springs before.

"Naruto-kun is...Naru-san?" Sakura whispered. The idea was almost too insane to believe.

At the worst possible time, Naruto was returning from a short stint at a training ground. Sakura narrowed her eyes and strode towards him. Naruto looked up and smiled briefly.

"Oh, Sakura-chan! What're you - ulp!" Sakura grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to a relatively enclosed alley way, scowling.

"Stay." She snarled warningly when he attempted to move. "What's going on between you and Hinata-chan?"

Naruto raised his hands in defense, grinning nervously. "Wha-what're you talking about? Hinata-chan's been sick but -"

"What you're doing is wrong." Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but Sakura didn't allow him the luxury. "Yeah, I know about it. Shikamaru-kun told me what you guys were talking about. Stop."

Naruto slumped against the wall. "But, what if she hates me when I tell her?"

Sakura clenched her fist and breathed deeply. "If she hates you afterwards..." She could feel Naruto's eyes on her. "...I'll...I'll go out with you."

His eyebrows jumped and he grinned. "Really...?"

Sakura glanced away. "Yeah...yeah I will."

But, Naruto's joy ebbed away after a few moment. "Actually, Sakura-chan..." She raised her head slowly, meeting his eyes with some hesitation. "That's okay. It's not right to drag you into this." She tilted her head, confused, and Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, flashing her another grin. "But thanks anyway!"

Sakura nodded distantly. "R-right..."

Naruto's grin faded and he put his hands in his pockets. "Bye then." He smiled gently and walked off.

Sakura leaned against the wall of the alley. "Naruto-kun...You grew up, didn't you?" She murmured, looking up at the sky. "And I didn't even notice."


	8. Daydream Lies

"How do I break it to her?" Naruto muttered, brushing through the crowds milling about in Konoha. "Should I be happy? Sad? Should I open with a joke?" He shook his head. "No, I have to be serious..." He winced and stopped in the middle of the street, causing the other pedestrians to mutter angrily as they stepped around him. "Who do I tell her as?" He moaned, running his fingers through his hair. "As Naruko? Or me? Would she want to see Naruko one last time, or would it be mean to trick her like that?" He started walking again, but his pace was considerably slower.

He looked up and saw Hinata weaving through the crowd of people as well. She was in a daze, staring at the ground vacantly and only looking up to murmur an apology to whomever she bumped into. Naruto ducked behind a telephone pole, grimacing. _I...I can't do this!_ He shakily raised his middle and index fingers in front of his face, and Naruko emerged from a cloud of smoke. She fluffed her hair - which was no longer in ponytails, and instead flowing down her back and over her shoulders - absentmindedly and set off for Hinata.

"Hina-chan!" She squealed, waving her hand and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Instantly, Hinata perked up.

"N-N-" Hinata stammered, taking a few shaky steps towards her. "Naru-chan!" She embraced Naruko, tears streaming down her face. "It's so good to see you!"

Naruko grinned nervously. "Y-you too, Hinata-chan..." She patted the kunoichi's head affectionately. "I missed you."

Hinata looked up and smiled. "You did? I missed you too." She drew away and put her hands on Naruko's shoulders. "I have so much to tell you..." She frowned and tugged at the black robe wrapped across Naruko's torso, her eyes traveling down to the orange obi tied around her stomach. "Why are you wearing a yukata?"

_Crap! I wasn't thinking at all! Why the hell did I go with a kimono?_ Naruto fumed. "Ah - I just came back from a party, y'know?" She smiled.

Luckily for Naruto, Hinata wasn't in the mood for pointless suspicions. "I saw a little tea shop down the road. Could we go -"

"I was thinking the park actually." Naruko cut in.

Hinata frowned slightly. "The park?" She echoed. "Why?"

_Because when I tell you, I don't want a bunch of people watching..._Naruto muttered inwardly, but Naruko spread her arms and wiggled her fingers. "Because I love being outside, and it's such a great day, right?"

Hinata brightened immediately. "You're right!" She looked up at the sky. White tufts of clouds swirling in the endless blue expanse. "It's so nice..."

Naruko grasped her hand. "Let's go."

Hinata braced herself, expecting Naruko to bolt off over enthusiastically, but instead the young woman walked slowly. She blinked and looked at Naruko. "Naru-chan...?" Naruko looked over. "Is everything...alright?"

Naruko forced her mouth into a melancholy smile. "Of course!"

The park Naruko mentioned was small with a generous amount of trees. It had originally been training grounds for ninja, but had been opened to the public once new grounds were open. One could still seeing the remnants of the thick logs used for target practice, and rusted kunai and shuriken were scattered around the edges of the clearing. The sky was a gentle, light blue swirled with faint wisps of white clouds that shifted whenever the breeze arose. The air was sweet with the scent of oncoming spring.

"Hinata-chan, I really like you..." Naruko began gently. She swung her hand as she walked, her fingers intertwined with Hinata's.

"I-I like you too, Naru-chan." Hinata pulled wildflowers from the clumps of grass as they moved across the field. She raised each blossoms to her nose to smell it, and smiled at the light, earthy aromas.

"I know." Naruko smiled. "And that's why...that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Hinata released Naruko's hand, sat down and leaned against a moss covered tree trunk. She spread her bundle of flowers out across her lap, resting them in the dipping folds of her jacket. Naruko looked down. Hinata's hands were steady as she began to weave the stems of the flowers together. The nervous jitters were gone, but she still looked pale and thin. Every glance at the girl reminded Naruto of his task.

"You're a wonderful person, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled at Naruko. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, giving her face some healthy color. "Th-thank you!" She looked down at her work, the smile lingering on her lips. "You're always so kind, Naru-chan." She murmured.

"I'm not as great as you think, Hinata-chan." Naruko mumbled.

Hinata looked up, concerning flashing in her eyes. "What?"

"Hinata-chan..." Naruko knelt down next to her and pulled a flower from the ground. _It's now or never. _Naruto told himself. Naruko pulled a petal from the flower and twirled in her fingers. "I have something to tell you..."

Hinata's look of concern grew, accompanied with a hopeless melancholy. "What?"

"I..."

_I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm Naruto-kun. Naru-san isn't real - she's me._

Hinata dropped her flowers and put a hand on Naruko's thigh, leaning forward. "Naru...chan...?"

"You deserve better!" Naruko blurted, dropping her own flower. She jerked away from Hinata and moved to stand.

"Wha-what?" Hinata asked. Her eyes widened and her face paled.

"I mean, you're the daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga, right?" In his urgency, Naruto was loosing the eloquence that usually came easily to him whenever he transformed into Naruko. "Wouldn't it be embarrassing to your clan - to your father - to _you_? - if people found out you were..." Naruko blushed. She was babbling, and this wasn't what she'd come to say. This wasn't what she wanted to say or even needed to say. "You were..."

"Naru-chan..." Hinata's eyes opened wider, pleading. "Are you embarrassed by this? ...By me?"

"No! No, I'm - I love you, I just -"

Hinata let out a gasp. "You do?"

"I -" Naruko swallowed. "I..."

Hinata hugged her. "I love you too, Naru-chan."

Naruko fidgeted and moved to hug her, but she tensed and put her hands on Hinata shoulders instead.

_No. I have to...I have to do this._

"Hinata-chan -"

Hinata cocked her head, and Naruko struggled to ignore the ever shrinking distance between their lips.

_I've never kissed her as myself...I - Naruto has never kissed her._

"I'm not who you thinking I am." Naruto managed to blurt finally.

Hinata blinked. "Naru-chan...What...?"

Naruko's grip tightened on her shoulders. It was painful to look her in the eyes and know that every moment they shared was born from a lie. It had always hurt, but now the ache was all too apparent, and it sent gentle shudders through Naruko. Watching Hinata smile and laugh and stare at her with those pale purple eyes, that innocent stare...

_I can't take this anymore._

I can't lie.  
  
Hinata flinched as Naruko exploded into a plume of smoke, her lips parting slightly in a silent shriek. She rubbed her eyes and coughed slightly as the haze cleared and found herself staring into the cheery countenance of...

"Naruto-kun?" She gaped. She jerked backwards, noticing how close they were. "Where...where's Naru-chan?" Her face was turning red and the air of relaxation around her disappeared. "Why are you here? And what - what's going on? I don't..." Hinata gripped the flower chain, crushing the slender stalks. "P-please a-answer me, Naruto-kun! I - I don't..."

"Actually, her name's Naruko." Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "And...I'm her...Well, she's me, I mean. I can transform -" Hinata jumped to her feet and looked around. "Hinata...chan?" Naruto mumbled, rising as well.

"Wh-where is she, Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered, her eyes flicking to him occasionally as she scanned the clearing. "Where's Naru-chan?"

"It's Naru_ko_-chan, actually." He mumbled.

"N-Naruto-kun! P-please d-don't joke around a-anymore!" Hinata wrung the flower chain in her hands, her nervous fingers twitching and skittering in place. "Wh-where is she?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply before pausing, stepping back and raising his middle and index fingers to his chest. It took moments to gather his chakra, and he summoned a Naruko clone several feet behind Hinata dressed in the same baggy jumpsuit as her creator.

"Hinata-chan!" She called. Her voice was terse and formal, not the jubilant squeal Naruko usually spoke with, and the call was to draw attention, not greet.

Hinata whirled around. "Naru - !" She cut herself off, noticing the familiar jacket and sweatpants. "Wh-why are you d-dressed as...as...N-Naruto-kun?" Her eyebrows knitted together and she gave Naruko a sad smile. "Is - is this a joke, Naru-chan? It-it's n-not funny."

Naruko brushed past Hinata and stood next to Naruto. "It's true, Hinata-chan. I'm just a clone."

"No!" Hinata shouted. She too raised her index and middle fingers, and squinted her eyes. "Y-you're lying! My Byakugan will prove it!"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah! That'll show I'm right!" He turned to Naruko for confirmation, but only received a sobering glare.

"Do it, Hinata-chan." She urged, drawing herself to her full height.

"I will!" Hinata cried. She swallowed heavily. "Bya..." She bit her lip, and closed her eyes. "_Bya_..." Hinata's lip trembled and she used her free hand to wipe her eyes hurriedly. "Byaku-" Hinata shook her head, cutting off the jutsu. "No! I won't! You're not - You can't be!"

"Hinata-chan..." Naruko sighed.

"Hinata-chan, it's true!" Naruto insisted, stepping forward.

"No!" Hinata's voice had risen to a hysterical scream. "Y-you're wrong! You - you _idiot_!" She grabbed the flower chain and hurled it at Naruto. He stopped as it bounced off his chest. "You're lying! It's not true! It's not!" She turned and ran from the clearing. Her voice echoed across the grass, "It's not true! _It's not true_!"


	9. Soft Skin, Red Lips

Hinata's feet slapped dully against the pavement, muffled by her thick boots. Her choked sobs were lost amongst the mumble of the crowd. And so, pushing through the Konoha streets, the heiress almost disappeared, unseen and unheard.

This made things considerably harder for Naruto.

A dozen or so clones had been sent across the village, searching frantically for the young woman. Naruto would release the jutsu at ten minute intervals, hoping to learn Hinata's location through a clone's memory, but his efforts were in vain. Naruto finally came to a rest on top of the Hokage's building after three hours of chasing after a missing target. He dropped to his knees, chakra almost spent, and balled his fists.

"Dammit!" Naruto shouted, slamming his knuckles into the rooftop. The jolt of pain was somewhat sobering, and he punched the gray tile again. "Naruto, you _idiot_." He hissed from between clenched teeth. "You stupid, stupid idiot."

_Did you really think you could keep this up? How did you think this would end? You're just a silly kid who got in over his head. You should have known better. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Stupid."

Naruto straightened and turned around.

"Sa-Sakura-chan?" He stammered, rising to his feet. The kunoichi strode towards him. "Wha...what're you doing here?"

"I had to do some research for Tsunade-sama..." She looked around the rooftop. "I come here on my lunch break when I have work to do here." Sakura slid a hand through her hair, holding her bangs away from her face as the wind picked up. She stared out at the hazy sunset, orange light washing over her. "It's nice." The breeze died away and Sakura let her bangs fall. "I think the better question is what _you're_ doing here, _Naruto-kun_." She frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you skipping out on Hinata-chan, because if you didn't tell her -"

"I did." Naruto broke in.

Sakura blinked, put off by the solemness of his tone. "Oh...How did it...what happened?"

"She..." Naruto dug his nails into his palm, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his fist. "She was so...angry...and hurt...She didn't believe me at first and when I convinced her...she ran. I've been trying to find her ever since."

"I'm sorry." Sakura murmured.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "I should have seen this coming...I should expected this...I just wanted to protect her. I wanted to make her happy." Naruto stepped back and leaned against the wire fence lining the roof. He curled his fingers into the diamond-shaped loops and bent his head. "I was so stupid."

"I don't think it was stupid." Sakura murmured. She slumped against the fence next to him. "You just wanted to protect someone precious yo you...You wanted to protect them from hurt and heartbreak, and you did everything could." She rubbed her shoulder and bit her lip. "You did more than I could." Sakura gave a trembling sigh and pushed off the fence. "Naruto-kun - you can't give up! I'll do everything I can to help." She smiled. "Hinata-chan needs you. She loves you, Naruto-kun. She knows that, but she's too hurt to accept it." Naruto raised his eyes and met Sakura's fiery gaze. "You need to find her, Naruto-kun. Because you need her too." She smiled. "Right?"

Naruto nodded and stepped away from the fence. "Right." He grinned. "But...I'm going to do this alone, Sakura-chan." He shrugged and put his hands in his pocket. "I dunno why, it just feels that way to me." He straightened, his eyes suddenly bright. "And I think...I know where she is." Naruto walked towards Sakura. "Also..." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. Sakura began to pull away just as Naruto released her.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She stammered, a light flush of confusion crossing her face.

"It's fine...about him." Naruto's smile wasn't beaming, but light and reassuring. "You gave it your all, and that's really amazing."

Sakura put her hand over her mouth. "N-Naruto...kun..." She murmured. _Since when do you talk like that...?_

Naruto crouched, tensing for a jump. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

He sprang into the orange-painted sky, and was gone.

:::

Choked sobs cut through the darkening twilight and echoed through nearly the empty streets. They were dry, empty cries that faded almost as soon as they arose, carried only briefly on the encroaching night's weak breeze. The sounds came from a shivering, lean figure seated doubled-over on a park bench. The dark form straightened and amidst the tears and limp strands of deep purple hair hid the melancholy countenance of Hyuuga Hinata. She ran her hands through her hair in an effort to stop picking at her fingers which had turned red and sore from her constant fidgeting.

"Who's there?" She demanded. Hinata stood and took a defensive stance, her knees slightly bent, bangs slicked back against the top of her head. "Show yourself -"

"Hinata-chan. Calm down, it's me."

The stance dropped instantly and Hinata turned to leave, her breathing even more strained and erratic.

"Wait! Hinata!" Naruto hurried forward and grabbed her arm. "Please stop running! I just want to talk!"

"No -"

"Why won't you just listen?" Naruto demanded. Hinata went rigid. He sighed and tugged her gently, pulling her to face him. "Hinata-chan, I'm sorry."

"Why would you do something like that?" Hinata gasped, finally giving voice to the questions that had eaten away at her for hours. "Why would you make yourself look like that? Why wouldn't you tell me?" She gripped his shirt and shook him. "How could you do his to me Naruto-kun?"

"I...didn't want to." Naruto mumbled. He closed his hand over hers. "I just thought...you said you were so happy with Naruko - with _Naru_ - and I...it felt wrong to take it away from you, and then it just grew into something else...something that neither of us could handle." Naruto put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

Something shifted in Hinata's chest, a painful twinge of feeling, and the anger rushed out of her. She felt breathless and empty without that fierce burning, and she allowed Naruto to envelope her in a cautious embrace. His fingers wound into her hair; she could feel every lock as it slid through his gentle grip.

"Naruto-kun."

He gave a small start, surprised to hear her break the silence.

"I want to kiss her, one more time." Hinata bowed her head, burrowing into Naruto's jacket. "Please?"

A sound like a muffled explosion made her jump and look up, into the wet, amicable eyes of Naruko. Warm, slender hands carefully cupped her face, wiping away the tears.

"If this is our last kiss," Naruko whispered with a soft laugh in her voice, "don't make it salty."

Their lips brushed once, and Hinata felt a shuddering breath escape Naruko before warmth spread through her. Naruko slipped her arms over Hinata's shoulders and linked her hands behind Hinata's back. Hinata found a fold in Naruko's jacket and gripped it, pushing forward, searching for more of that heat...

"Naru -!" Hinata opened her eyes and pulled back, but the young woman was gone. Naruto brushed the hair from her face and smudged the drying tears on her cheek with the back of his hand. "Naruto...kun..."

Above them, a streetlamp flickered on. They both looked up, almost surprised. Night had fallen. A moth wearily spiraled in front of the dying bulb.

"Hinata-"

"Naruto, don't." Hinata gave him a thin smile, and gripped his shoulder. She rocked her hand back and forth idly, bunching and smoothing the fabric. Naruto met her eyes. It pained him to see the silent agony circulating in their lavender depths, to know that _he_ caused that, to know that only time could take it away. But there was lightness in her face. Not the sickly frailness she had suffered from, but a weightless freedom, as though a burden had been lifted. It seemed as though some obstruction had been removed and she was seeing him in a wholly different way.

"It's quiet." She noted.

"Yeah."

"...I don't know."

Naruto blinked.

"What?"

"I don't know," Hinata repeated, "I don't know if...if we'll be together, after this." A thick knot lodged somewhere in Naruto's throat. He'd been wondering about that. "But..." She smiled broadly enough to make her eyes crinkle up, and the pain all but disappeared from her expression. "But I'd really like that, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her close, pressing her to his chest. "Yeah..." He rested his chin on her head. "Me too."

Briefly, before she allowed herself to doze in his arms, Hinata wondered if the warmth she'd felt during the kiss was Naru's or Naruto's...

_But..._ she added to herself._ Aren't they the same?_

_

* * *

_Author's Note: That's it! The end of And I Liked it! I am so wishy-washy, I know. Just in case any of you hadn't realized, the titles of the fan fiction and this chapter are from the Katy Perry song, "I Kissed a Girl", which this fic is completely and totally based on. Trufax. I figured "I Kissed a Girl" would be a bit too obvious. But you all probably know that.

And now to finish 'Don't Shoot the Messenger!' ...Oh dear.

I'm sorry for all of the long waits. Thank you so much to all of you who have kept with this fan fiction! Really, you guys are the best.


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